The rail industry is facing a new urgency for terminal operating systems that can effectively manage these new conditions for improved operational efficiency.
Why? New demands like increased container freight movement, demand for faster turnaround times, the introduction and integration of AI-powered technology, and other complexities of intermodal operations have disrupted the traditional rail yard ecosystem.
To manage the complexity of modern rail terminals while meeting increasing demands for shipping efficiency, rail operators must embrace new technology to remain competitive.
“Many rail leaders prioritize reliability, safety, and efficiency,” says Mark Bromley, VP of Client Services Management at Tideworks. “This can lead to a more deliberate adoption of new technology.”
On the heels of the 15th anniversary of our IPRO solution, we want to share a peek at how Tideworks has been at the vanguard of terminal efficiency for the past 25 years, including 15 years in the rail industry.
We’ll also look ahead to the future of rail operations and explain how Tideworks is using real-time rail planning, full DGPS integrations, and a range of digitalization and AI technology integrations to create strategic operational advantages for its rail customers.
A (brief) history of Tideworks’ involvement in rail
Todd Tatterson, VP of Business Development at Tideworks, remembers the early days of Tideworks. Back in 2001, the company had just acquired its first third-party customer for a cargo transportation operations system, Fraser Surrey Docks (now DP World), expanding beyond its support of SSA Marine’s affiliate terminals to serve marine terminals independently. Tideworks was at the start of its journey to become a global supply chain technology brand.
Although Tideworks has continued to evolve its solutions and services over the years—from starting as a terminal software solution for marine to later serving rail terminals with terminal operating system IPRO—the team remains committed to its founding mission of optimizing global logistics and terminal operations with strategic, innovative technology. Through the years, we’ve expanded our integration capabilities with industry partners while developing a robust data platform to support AI and ML. In addition, we’ve built a versatile application portfolio that enables terminals to access and utilize data in multiple ways. We’ve also standardized our core product offerings and strengthened our support processes with a self-serve client knowledge base.
Guiding strategic operations to the rail industry
As we’ve strengthened our footprint among marine and intermodal terminals, leadership recognized an opportunity for our software system to deliver similar operational efficiencies for railroad companies.
According to Bromley and Tatterson, rail terminals were eager to achieve new operational advantages through strategic infrastructure upgrades amid the economic disruption of the 2008 recession.
“We ultimately formed partnerships with three of the six Class 1 railroads in North America,” Tatterson says. “That’s a significant deal. These are the companies that built America.”
Among them, CSX Intermodal went live with Tideworks’ IPRO and Traffic Control in 2019. With Tideworks, CSX can increase container efficiency and railcar management, and improve the accuracy and coordination of container and truck movements throughout CSX’s network of terminals.
Then, in 2023, BNSF Railway, the largest freight railroad in the United States, adopted IPRO and Traffic Control at its Memphis facility. The goal was to improve BNSF’s visibility of terminal operations, improve real-time planning, and boost terminal and equipment productivity.
These are just a few examples of how Tideworks has supported the rail industry. Fast-forward to today and Tideworks is celebrating 15 years of delivering operational efficiencies for the global rail industry—including one of the leading rail facilities in the U.K.
Solving unique port congestion challenges during the pandemic
The volume challenges confronting rail terminals reached a fever pitch during the COVID-19 pandemic when a surge of intermodal shipping activity overwhelmed day-to-day rail yard operations.
While rail yards are excellent at managing wheeled efficiency with incoming and outgoing rail freight, they’re far less experienced at managing container stacks and other challenges associated with grounded freight.
“That’s where our software and marine terminal experience proved valuable,” says Bromley. “What we had built on the marine side helped catapult us forward into the rail space.”
Shifting gears: A need for ongoing innovation
Railroad companies have long relied on their unrivaled efficiency to help them attract and retain shipping customers. But as shipping volume increases and competition grows, rail companies must be proactive in acquiring new technology and capabilities to help them scale efficiently and maintain their competitive advantage.
While rail transportation may be more cost-efficient and sustainable than commercial trucking, trucks can move goods faster—which puts pressure on rail terminals to streamline their operations and manage shipments more efficiently, teeing up a better intermodal experience for shipping customers.
“Rail customers like UPS and Amazon want their containers as soon as they come off the train,” says Bromley. “The drivers are sitting and waiting, ready to pick up those shipping containers and move out the gate.”
Tideworks’ IPRO platform has been integral to creating these efficiencies, allowing terminal operators to transfer containers to drivers faster and increasing the maximum volume of shipments that can be moved in and out of the gate. For example, the Birmingham, Cardiff, Doncaster, alnd Liverpool terminals part of Freightliner’s UK operations handled over 4,000 truck visits with an average turnaround time below 26 minutes.
That fast service depends on the ability to organize and prioritize shipping containers so that they’re available to be loaded as soon as the driver is ready, instead of requiring equipment operators to pull a container out from the bottom of a stack. IPRO makes it easy for terminals to manage a wide range of operations for a more efficient, sustainable, and customer-friendly experience.
“We have helped rail terminals achieve what marine terminals have been doing for a number of years,” says Bromley.
Looking ahead to a new generation of rail operations
After 15 years of delivering operational efficiencies for railroad customers, Tideworks is continually investing in software upgrades, R&D, and customer collaborations that will help shape the next generation of rail terminal operations.
Here are a few ways we’re making an impact within the rail industry:
Identifying emerging tech that can benefit our customers
Machine learning and artificial intelligence have become popular buzzwords in nearly every industry and rail operations are no exception.
Technology like machine learning and artificial intelligence are only as useful as their ability to solve specific problems facing rail terminals.
For example, autonomous utility tractors (UTRs) have long been promoted as unmanned tools for moving chassis around the rail yard. But these autonomous vehicles are only useful at scale when they can be integrated with various software and systems without the need to build custom connections for each deployment.
“When railroad leaders are looking to acquire new technology, they’re looking for solutions that offer the biggest bang for their buck,” says Bromley. “There are a lot of different terminal operating styles and models, and the technology that offers the greatest return on investment isn’t going to be the same for every location. So it really depends on the individual railroad and what they’re looking to maximize.”
Supporting the next generation of rail operations
No matter how rail operations continue to evolve, Tideworks is committed to continuing to support our customers as a strategic partner in creating new operational efficiencies.
To that end, Tideworks created its own Intermodal Customer Advisory Board in 2024 with the goal of taking an active role in thought leadership that will shape the next generation of rail operations.
The first session of this board, held in Seattle in the autumn of 2024, was attended by representatives from four major railroads. The goal of our Intermodal Customer Advisory Board is to foster collaboration and communication that will shape product development and address shifting market demands affecting the next five to 10 years of rail operations.
“It’s really all about staying in lock-step with our customers and understanding their needs,” says Tatterson. “If they have some initiative they want to pursue or a future need to address, then we want to be participating in that conversation and contributing to the solution.”
Build the future of your rail operations with Tideworks
Railyards are dealing with greater shipping volumes, and more complexity, than ever. To meet your customers’ expectations for fast, efficient service, your terminal needs the help of cutting-edge systems that can consistently streamline operations and manage your yard at scale.
Tideworks’ IPRO is tailored specifically to the unique needs of intermodal rail environments. With 15 years of experience, IPRO offers flexible yard planning tools, versatile data reporting, and full integration with DGPS and other terminal solutions critical to your day-to-day operations.
Learn more about how Tideworks is helping shape the future of intermodal rail, and see how we can help deliver sustainable, efficient operations for your rail company—schedule a Tideworks demo today.